That's - confusing and concerning but there's nothing she can do about it? Like, she can try to ready a spell, but what's she gonna do, aim a ray of frost at whatever invisible force has silenced them? She's not even a hundred percent on making cantrips work right yet.

- probably someone has reported her for something and she is about to be taken into custody and then tortured to death.

She stares at her dinner plate and tries to look like someone who is much too unambitious and devoid of capacity for desires to have broken any very important laws.

The door flies open. 

These people are foreigners and speaking a different language when they cast, but the spells might be recognizable anyway; that one is Dimensional Anchor and that one is Bestow Curse and that one is Hold Person and they look around the room with weapons drawn and smash open the next couple of doors and.... now these people are having a heated sign language argument. 

       No one else here. 

Then - the kid?

      When did he die? 

               Nine years ago. Timing works. Barely. 

       He - showed up in Cheliax, hooked up with someone, left?

               At some point they're gonna make their save, you know. 

        I'm not sure they will. Not sure they're trying. Look at them.

Fuck.

        We can't kidnap a kid.

We can absolutely kidnap a kid if someone else is going to murder them within a day if we don't. 

       We don't have to kidnap the kid - lemme talk to her -

The Silence spell ends.

"Heeeey kid," says the masked man with a shortbow and a knife, in very good Taldane that's nonetheless clearly not his first language. "Wanna save the world with us?"

The kid looks like this is the best thing that has happened to her all day, and then looks plaintively at the young woman across from her. "Can I?"

" - who are you?"

"Kind of a long story and we're expecting company," the masked man says. "There was an angel named Teriesh, dropped by around nine years ago, maybe vanished mysteriously shortly after that? He was the only person entrusted with the ability to open a gate to a Deep Plane, and now cultists are tracking down his descendents to force the gate and summon Rovagug to eat the world, you know, as you do, she's the last one and I'll tell you more as soon as we're out of the damned country. You're her mother?"

"I - no? Sort of - what - "

"She's my aunt. Mom's dead."

"Condolences. Why don't you grab your stuff."

She runs off to throw stuff in a bag.

There is absolutely no way this is going to go well for either of them. There's no way for most things to go well for them, really, other than not being noticed, and obviously someone has noticed them. If they stay then law enforcement will - but if they cooperate it could be even worse - maybe if she screamed she could still convince the responders that none of this has anything to do with her or with Zara - no, these are real spellcasters, there would be a real investigation, they'd force her to speak the truth and then everyone would know everything, and then -

" - how much time does she have - "

"To get her stuff? She looks pretty quick on her feet, I bet she'll be back in a minute or two. You coming too?"

" - well I'm not giving her to you."

"Okay. You do anything - evil - you're only gonna get her hurt, understand?"

"You're not evil?"

"No? I guess we haven't made the best possible impression here. Nice lawful good party here, only, this is an emergency and the last couple times we weren't here soon enough and also I'm not even sure you can be lawful good in Cheliax, what with it being...unlawful... to be good... why don't you get whatever you're gonna need that's not an icon of Asmodeus or whatever and we'll talk more on the road."

Opposing them would be suicide and screaming would be a different kind of suicide. Her options are to abandon her niece to these - people - or stay with her and hope to escape later. 

Abandoning her is unthinkable.

She pushes herself away from the table and packs a bag. She spitefully packs her copy of the Asmodean Disciplines in it. She wonders if it counts as an act of obedience if you do it while being partially motivated by spite. Or if you do it while giving in to intimidation on other matters. But she's a human, with all the weaknesses that implies. Asmodeus does not forgive, but neither is he surprised at the weakness of mortal hearts.

She's ready after Zara, but not very much after.

They have a flying carpet and an illusion that hides it. He lifts Zara up and then turns to her and offers his arms for a lift, somewhat uncertainly.

She's - never boarded a flying carpet before so fine, sure, whatever.

Lift. And they're off. They do magic so it's not as cold and windy.

He takes off the mask and looks out at the night. 

" - well. Hi. I'm Hagan. What's your name, kid?"

"Zara. That's Korva."

"Nice to meet you. You been up on a flying carpet before?"

"Nope! It's cool."

"It's great! We have the spell 'Fly' too! Maybe once we're in Andoran you can get Mahdi - this is Mahdi, he's our wizard, his Taldane is kind of rusty but he's following along - to cast it for you and then you can try flying. Pretty sure angels are supposed to be able to fly."